News

April 10, 2017

Bicycle helmet invention a winner for Tech students - VTCRC Jumpstart member

A pair of Virginia Tech students won their fifth startup pitch competition this week, taking home another oversized check as they continue to develop a new type of bicycle helmet capable of fitting inside a water bottle. With their most recent win at Virginia Tech’s Union Innovation Challenge on Thursday, Park & Diamond brought its winnings total above $50,000.

The startup’s helmet is designed to be stylish, even to the point of being indistinguishable from an average knit hat. But hidden under the fabric is a series of hard, protective plates.

The headwear is still flexible, so it can be folded up for easy storage.

Startup co-founders David Hall and Jordan Klein say they hope to encourage more helmet usage by inventing a product that’s convenient enough for every rider to carry around, and stylish enough that they’ll actually be willing to put it on.

Hall and Klein have been executing on the idea ever since, winning pitch competitions to fund the nascent business. They work out of a small office inside the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, a space they also won through a pitch competition.